Ever Feel Like Packing it in and Buying a One-Way Ticket to Italy? Jessica Harris Did! And Now She Has Her Own Boutique in Rome.

So it's Monday and I'm deep into my fashion-finding mystery trip around Europe. I've already been in my second mystery location—which I'll unveil to you on Wednesday (unless you've been following me on Twitter, in which case you'll already know)—for two days , but wanted to tell you guys about Jessica Harris, a young American designer who I met in Rome last week. Here's a question for you: Have you ever wanted to give it all up, pack your life into a few suitcases, and buy a one-way ticket to Italy? Well, that's exactly what Jessica did—ten years ago! Find out why, how, and if she lived happily ever after, after the jump.

In case you missed my first dispatch from abroad, right now I'm on an American Express Travel NEXTPEDITION—this sort of mindblowing and brilliant new mystery travel program in which you place seven days of your life into an American Express Travel expert's hands and have your itinerary unveiled to you day by day. It's been a trip (no pun intended!)—and I highly recommend taking the free NEXTPEDITION travel profiler personality test online. I'm a Zenturian—which apparently means I really like eating and exude a "digital vibe." What's your travel sign?

So my first destination was Rome—I landed last Wednesday afternoon and, on Thursday morning, was scheduled for my very first official NEXTPEDITION mystery activity—a private shopping tour of Monti, a totally non-touristy up-and-coming neighborhood, full of young creative people, bijoux club-kid-ish boutiques, and super-cool (but decidedly un-stuffy) restaurants. My tour guide? Jessica Harris, above, a 20-something-year-old Chicago native who, ten years ago, bought a one-way ticket to Italy, fell in love with Roma, and never looked back.

Today, Jessica's the proprietor of Leopardessa (Via Panisperna, 226) a charming little shop in the heart of Monti that stocks her own eponymous collection as well as a selection of vintage pieces Jessica picks up on her jaunts around Europe—she splits her time between Rome and Berlin with her punk-rock-band boyfriend (I mean, could she be any cooler??).

Here's what she told us about making the move—and, just in case you're thinking about paying Rome a visit, we've included Jessica's list of five favorite spots in town.

Glamour: How did you fall in love with Rome and decide to move here?

Jessica: When I came to Rome, it was my first time in Europe. I was 19 and, coming from the Midwest, this city felt like a different planet. I think it's always been the colors of the architecture and nature combined as backdrop to the eccentric and fascinating personalities you encounter here that has kept me intrigued from day one.

Glamour: What are the pros and cons of being a young designer and shopkeeper in Rome?

Jessica: Rome is a city with a strong Bohemian spirit and people from all walks of life place their creativity in high priority. What you produce here artistically is highly appreciated and can become how people define you in the city. It's very fulfilling to be respected in this way. What can be a challenge as a fashion designer is convincing customers that your vision is right for them. There are very adventurous dressers in this city but there are also very many who have been conditioned by a more conventional mentalityy towards standards of dressing based on what is considered appropriate for the season [in terms of] cut, fit, and color.

Glamour: How did you get started in Rome with both designing and, later on, opening a shop?

Jessica: I came with the intent of finishing my art history BA from Boston University and starting fashion school. I researched all of the design schools in the city and settled on the one that had a whimsical, old fashioned way of teaching what seems like the lost technique of Rome's [traditional] high-fashion and tailoring [techniques].

From fashion school, I went on to work for a designer in an office overflowing with Lurex and sequins. When I felt ready, I rented a small workspace and began preparing, with the help of an interior designer friend, to open a shop This was nearly six years ago in Trastavere (a neighborhood in Rome)—everything started very small. With just a low rent, I slowly collected materials and sold made-to-measure and one-off pieces. I made friends with my upstairs neighbor, a photographer, and together we dreamed up the idea of a collection—me ordering fabrics sampled in the trade fair in Milan to begin designing and sewing pieces, and her working on the lookbook images.

I'm now eight collections into my label with and have moved to a new space in Monti, where I'm developing a new collection that will be named after my boutique, Leopardessa, as well as working on my own collection.

Glamour: Tell us about your friends in Rome— are a lot of them in creative fields? How does the young creative community work together in Rome?

Jessica: There is a lot of collaboration between friends here and, in my case, most of my personal relationships have developed through work relationships. My partner is a curator of contemporary art who I met at a fashion opening he organized. We share an almost obsessive interest in interiors, calling our daily housecleaning "installations" and any conflicts "design problems."

Two of my closest friends are a musician/performer and an interior designer. We'll have once-yearly events where one of us is invited to present our work somewhere and we'll call up the other two to assist in the project. This is always such a whirlwind of ideas and energy that we've nicknamed our combined efforts "La Bombardina." On any given evening, I'll run into stylists, photographers, bloggers, and acquaintances involved in art/fashion/music—it could be at Tre Scalini (Via Panisperna, 251; http://www.aitrescalini.org) in Monti for a glass of red wine or in Pigneto at Bar Rosy (Via del Pigneto, 117) for a Peroni, or late night at fanfulla 101 (Via Fanfulla da Lodi 101; http://www.fanfulla.org) for an Amaro.

Glamour: Your five favorite spots in Rome?

Jessica:Via del Mandrione: The aqueducts combined with the pink sky at sunset is the most peaceful and breathtaking way to cap off a chaotic day in Rome.

The swing at Leopardessa: I love to hang out on the swing in my shop (designed by Elena Boni) and chat with my business partner Mariaelena Masetti Zanini and watch people giggle as they see the scene passing by the window.

Dinner at Urbana 47http://www.urbana47.it: It has a chic yet laid back atmosphere and is a great place to go after work.

Kino in Pigneto: A cinema club with a teeny movie theater in the basement and a nice bar for an after-film drink

The flea market at Piazza Augusto Imperatore is one Sunday a month and has great antiques and curious objects that I love to collect for store displays at Leopardessa.